- A survey of 5,100 children in the UK has revealed that “Queen” is their top word for 2022.
- More girls than boys chose “Queen” for their top pick, the survey found.
- The words “happy” and “chaos” took second and third place.
The children have spoken, and “Queen” is their word of the year for 2022.
Nearly half of 5,100 children aged six to 14 polled in the UK picked the word, according to the Oxford University Press.
Coming in second and third in the organization’s annual survey were the words “happy” and “chaos.”
The children surveyed were asked why they chose the words they did. Some children who picked “Queen” said it made them think of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The children also referenced the “new era” in British history that dawned with her passing in September, the Oxford University Press said.
“The queen died this year and it would be nice to have a word to remember her,” said an unnamed child surveyed by the organization.
The choice of the word “Queen” is significant because it shows that children are aware of the news and its impact on language, the report stated. Helen Freeman, the director of Oxford Children’s Books, said in the report that the choice of top word was unsurprising, considering the Queen’s “70 years of incredible service.”
The word “Queen” is a marked shift from the top word of 2021: “anxiety.” And it’s been a depressing few years, word-wise: the top word for kids was “coronavirus” in 2020, “Brexit” in 2019, “plastic” in 2018, and “Trump” in 2017.
In December, “goblin mode” was named the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year. The term refers to “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations,” per Oxford Languages. Oxford Languages said in a press release that more than 300,000 people voted for “goblin mode,” which beat “metaverse” to the top spot.
